Chapter 4

After a brief stunned silence, Zara was the first to laugh.

Hayden and Gavin quickly joined in, their laughter dripping with contempt.

“Everyone knows you’re obsessed with Daryl. You schemed your way into marrying him. You really expect us to believe you’d divorce him?”

Hayden and Gavin immediately backed her up.

“If you actually go through with divorcing Daryl, I might finally have a little respect for you.”

“Jennie, it’s been over a month. You’re still not over it? You’re fine now, aren’t you? You’re making a huge deal out of nothing.”

Jennie stared at them without expression.

It was always like this.

Whenever Jennie was around, the four of them always united against her as though she were an outsider.

Seeing Hayden and Gavin defend her, Zara looked smug.

Jennie stepped forward until she was standing directly in front of her.

“Ordering medicine online would’ve taken at least thirty minutes. There was a pharmacy right outside Daryl’s neighborhood. Going there and back took only a few minutes. Which would you have chosen?”

For all three years of Jennie’s marriage, they had used that night against her.

In their eyes, she had manipulated Daryl’s guilt and sympathy to pressure him into marrying her.

She had tried countless times to explain, but they had never given her the chance.

Zara sneered. “That’s a pathetic excuse. Why didn’t you call the pharmacy and ask them to deliver it?”

“It was midnight, and only one employee was working. Who exactly was supposed to make the delivery?”

Zara clenched her fists, ready to argue.

Jennie cut her off.

“I took care of him because I wanted to. I never expected anything in return. He proposed because he chose to. I didn’t hold a knife to his throat and force him. But somehow, you twisted it into some elaborate scheme.”

Zara’s words caught in her throat.

The sharpness in Jennie’s eyes made her uneasy.

What had gotten into her today?

No matter how badly they treated her before, Jennie had always swallowed her anger and stayed quiet.

Today, she refused to back down even an inch.

Jennie let out a cold laugh.

“If loving him sincerely counts as manipulation, then what do you call the way you act with these three? Hiding behind the word ‘bro’ while crossing every line imaginable?”

Everyone’s expression changed.

Hayden jumped down from the desk and shoved Jennie hard.

“What the hell are you talking about? Just because your mind is filthy doesn’t mean everyone else is like you.”

Jennie stumbled backward and nearly fell, but she managed to steady herself.

Gavin looked startled.

“Hayden, what are you doing? She’s still Daryl’s wife. You can’t put your hands on her.”

Hayden stepped in front of Zara, shielding her as though she were something precious.

“She insulted Zara. As her friend, maybe you can let that slide, but I can’t.”

Jennie’s fingers curled into a fist.

Friend.

Friend.

Always that damn word.

She was sick of hearing it.

Hayden wasn’t finished.

“Jennie, apologize to Zara right now...”

Before he could finish, Jennie slapped him hard across the face.

“Apologize, my ass.”

It was the first time in her twenty-three years that she had ever cursed.

The anger that had been trapped in her chest for years finally found an outlet.

Hayden’s head snapped to the side.

His cheek burned, his ears rang, and the metallic taste of blood filled his mouth.

The office fell silent.

Daryl, who hadn’t said a word until then, stared at Jennie as though he were seeing her for the first time.

Hayden pressed a hand to his face and looked at her in disbelief.

“You actually hit me?”

Displeasure flashed in Daryl’s eyes.

“Jennie, apologize.”

Jennie turned toward him and laughed.

“So you can talk. They’ve been ganging up on me this whole time, and you didn’t say a word. I was starting to think you’d lost your voice.”

She tapped the divorce papers with one finger.

“Enough nonsense. Sign them.”

She couldn’t stand being there another minute.

Just being in the same room with them made her sick.

Daryl picked up the divorce agreement and tore it in half without hesitation.

Jennie reached for it, but she was too late.

She could only watch as he ripped it into pieces and tossed them into the trash.

“Daryl, what are you doing?”

“There’s a limit to how far you can take a tantrum,” he said coldly. “Stop threatening me with divorce every time you’re upset.”

Jennie laughed in disbelief.

“You still think this is a tantrum? Fine. I have plenty of copies. I’ll have my lawyer bring you more later. Once you’re done tearing them up, sign one.”

She turned to leave.

Daryl rose and followed her, grabbing her wrist.

“Where are you going? It’s been over a month. When are you coming home?”

Jennie pulled free.

“After everything that’s happened, you really think I’m going back?”

He frowned.

“If you’re not going home, where are you going?”

“Wherever I want. It’s none of your business.”

She started toward the door, then stopped and looked back.

“Sign the divorce papers soon. Since you cheated during our marriage, I’m taking eighty percent of the marital assets.”

As Daryl watched her walk away, an unfamiliar panic stirred inside him.

For the first time, he felt as though she were slipping out of his grasp.

Was he imagining it?

Hayden glared after her and kicked the desk.

“Damn it! She actually hit me. Even my parents have never laid a hand on me.”

Gavin rolled his eyes.

“You went too far. You deserved it.”

Hayden bristled.

“Why are you defending her too? Whose side are you on?”

Gavin couldn’t be bothered to argue. He walked over to Daryl, looking apologetic.

“Daryl, Jennie seemed serious about the divorce. Maybe we should apologize to her.”

Hayden reacted as though someone had stepped on his toes.

“You can go if you want. I’m not apologizing. I didn’t do anything wrong.”

Daryl’s expression darkened.

Sensing his anger, Zara tugged lightly at Hayden’s sleeve, warning him to stop.

Then she approached Daryl with a falsely sympathetic expression.

“Daryl, Jennie’s still carrying your child. She’s obviously using divorce to pressure you. If you give in this time, she’ll keep doing it over and over.”

Hayden immediately agreed.

“Exactly. Do you really want her controlling you like that?”

Gavin frowned.

“Marriage isn’t about one person controlling the other. They’re supposed to respect and understand each other. If we misunderstood what happened with the medicine, then we owe Jennie an apology.”

Daryl fell silent.

Seeing him waver, Zara shot Hayden a look.

He understood immediately.

“Daryl, don’t let Jennie fool you with a few excuses. Money can make anything happen. If she had offered enough, the pharmacy would’ve delivered it. She was just looking for an excuse to make herself look devoted.”

Gavin’s brows drew together.

“Hayden, why are you always trying to turn Daryl against Jennie? You...”

Their arguing made Daryl’s head pound.

Before Gavin could finish, he raised a hand.

“Enough. All of you, leave. I need some time alone.”

Hayden refused to move, so Gavin dragged him out.

Zara patted Daryl on the shoulder.

“Think it over carefully. If you’re upset, come have a drink with us. We’re friends. We stick together through everything.”

After the three of them left, Daryl was alone in the office.

His gaze settled on the shredded divorce papers in the trash.

She had actually asked for a divorce.

Jennie must really be furious this time.

He would go home that evening, say a few nice words, and give her an easy way to back down.

She loved him too much to actually leave.

That evening, Daryl stopped at a flower shop on his way home and bought a bouquet of Jennie’s favorite tulips.

He assumed she would be waiting for him like always, no matter how late he returned.

Instead, he opened the door to complete darkness.

The huge house was empty.

Not a single person was there.

The silence was almost unsettling.